Dota 2
Every big Dota 2 tournament has an effect on the PUB meta, especially when the event takes place a few days after the arrival of a new patch. This is exactly what happened with the Riyadh Masters 202.
The biggest tournament outside of the 2023 DPC was played on the Dota 2 patch 7.33e, which introduced several nerfs to the most famous heroes before that. We expected to see some changes, but after analyzing the top picks and bans, it’s safe to say we were surprised.
Most of you are probably curious to learn more about what’s new in the meta, so let’s dive in.
Legion Commander is the best hero, according to the win rate
There were several interesting heroes we had the chance to watch in Riyadh. Some of them haven’t been popular in the professional meta before, so we were surprised that many teams relied on them. Legion Commander is probably the best example because this is a hero who appeared in 27 matches.
Aside from the number of games she was played, we were also impressed by her jaw-dropping win rate, which was over 70%. The fact most of the pro Dota 2 players won their games with LC also had an impact on the PUB meta. During our Dota 2 Patch 7.33e meta-analysis, we noticed Legion Commander is also the most successful PUB Dota 2 hero, with around a 55.61% win rate.
The stats are even more impressive if you look at the highest-skill bracket (Immortal/Divine). In other words, Legion Commander is definitely a hero you want to have on your team. She can be played in various positions, but most PUB players like focusing on the offlane.
Spectre’s the strongest carry in PUBs, despite not being popular in Riyadh
An interesting thing we came across during the Dota 2 Patch 7.33e meta-analysis following the Riyadh Masters 2023 is that Spectre is the strongest carry in PUBs, at least according to the stats. With more than a 54.67% win rate in the past week, the hero is slightly ahead of Naga Siren.
These stats may surprise those who followed the event a few days ago. Spectre only appeared in 3 matches and lost all of them, so it’s safe to say this hero is not good for the professional meta. However, it seems like PUB players do not know how to shut her down, so others are taking advantage of it.
As mentioned, Naga Siren is very close behind Spectre, but unlike the latter, she was one of the preferred options at the event. With 27 picks and an impressive 66% win rate, Naga proved herself as one of the best in the current meta. The hero can farm much faster than many other options, and her late-game potential is second to none. No wonder she was the second-most banned hero at the Riyadh Masters 2023 with 128 bans. The only hero who had more than her was Broodmother.
Tinker is among the best pub midders right now
In addition to Spectre, which only had the chance to show up in 3 games, there is another interesting hero who shines in PUBs but didn’t do much in pro games. His name is Tinker, and he’s the best midder, according to the stats from last week.
Tinker has more than a 51.50% win rate, which is 1% less than Necrophos. However, the latter is often an offlaner, whereas Tinker is exclusively played mid, so he deserves to get this spot.
People with more experience watching Dota 2 are probably not surprised Tinker wasn’t popular in Riyadh. Like Spectre, he only appeared in 3 games, but at least he won one. The hero has never been a stable Pro pick because of how hard he plays and uses. Tinker is unique in many ways, but every mistake can be fatal, so most don’t think he’s worth it, going for other options, such as Storm Spirit.
Ancient Apparition has impressive PUB stats, but the same can’t be said about pro games
Rubick became the most picked hero at the Riyadh Masters 2023, so most of you probably expected him to be among the best in PUB games. However, if you look at the stats, you will see this honor goes to none other than Ancient Apparition. The latter has more than a 53.62% win rate, which makes him the most successful PUB support.
If we compare AA's PUB and Pro stats, we can see the hero is not that big among the best Dota 2 players. Unlike other supports, Ancient Apparition only appeared in 8 matches at the Riyadh Masters 2023 and had a 50% win rate.
One of the reasons for the lack of interest in the hero is the fact he only shines in specific situations. Thanks to his ultimate, AA is among the best counters to heroes like Huskar, Slark, and pretty much any other hero who relies on healing to be effective. The bad news is AA is extremely fragile, so there are lineups where he can’t survive.
Which are the least successful PUB heroes in 7.33e so far?
If we check the stats for the PUB games, we can see Doom is the least successful hero in Dota 2 right now. A lot of people may be surprised by it, but we need to remind you Doom received several nefs in 7.33e. They also had an effect on his professional stats because Doom secured a 45% win rate out of 42 games at the Riyadh Masters.
Nature’s Prophet and Broodmother are the next heroes on the list regarding the least successful options. Furion only appeared once at the event and won the game, whereas Broodmother was the most banned hero in Riyadh. That said, the hero only achieved a 42% win rate, so she’s definitely not an option for every game.
